Wriddhiman Saha has been in the thick of things lately for all non-cricket reasons. Whether it was about him getting the ax from the Test side or the threatening messages he received from a journalist. Legendary Team India goalkeeper Syed Kirmani has spoken out in support of Saha, comparing his situation to his when he was dropped from the Indian team, which he believes made him ‘a victim of injustice’.
“Saha has a huge competition around him with all the youngsters performing well in the IPL and other limited overs matches. He is obviously very sad, but every cricketer has to go through ups and downs, right? We don’t know what the selection committee and team management think about the player. I have also been a victim of injustice, but no one talks about it,” Kirmani said in an interview with SportsKeeda.
Kirmani didn’t mince words when he revealed how he had been dropped from both the Test and ODI teams “through no fault of his own”.
“I don’t know. I was at the peak of my career around that time. Yet I was dropped from both the Test and ODI teams through no fault of my own. There was no competition around me. I played 88 Tests and became the savior of India’s ODI team on many occasions.Do you know there were false reports published in the papers suggesting that I was underperforming?While someone else would drop a catch in the slip cordon, [the media] would publish my photo and insinuate that Kirmani had dropped a catch or missed a punch,” he said.
Kirmani also cited the example of his state team Karnataka which failed to give him a chance to make a comeback, causing him to transfer to the Railway team.
“I’ve always been a fighter. My own state [Karnataka] removed me from the team when I wanted to make a comeback and honor my country. That’s why I had to transfer to the Railway Team. The then secretary of the Karnataka State Cricket Association [KSCA] said, ‘Oh, so you’re going to the Railways? Let’s see how you perform there.’ Is that how you talk to a World Cup winner and someone who has always been a team man?” he added.
promoted
Kirmani suggested that Saha should keep playing cricket until he enjoys the game.
“Saha is a brave cricketer. He should keep playing as long as he enjoys the game like I did. Retirement is in his own hands. No one can force him [to retire]Kirmani said.
Topics mentioned in this article